A Power Unbound

Thank you to Netgalley and Tordotcom Publishing for providing an ARC copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I am so thankful that Tordotcom granted me an ARC of A Power Unbound – the last book in The Last Binding trilogy, a series that has absolutely captured my heart. I adore the first book in the series – A Marvellous Light, and liked but didn't love the second, A Restless Truth...I was a little worried that A Power Unbound would leave me wanting by the end. THANKFULLY, it did not.

It really did not.

A Power Unbound took everything I liked from the previous books and expanded on it. All the characters you fall in love with in the prior novels make appearances again, and to my ultimate joy, become something of a found family. A found family where they actually CARE about one another, and it isn't just that they're working together. This was glorious, and I'm so happy that Marske went this way with the series.

The main characters in this book are Lord Hawthorne (to my delight) and Alan Ross (aka Alonzo Rossi), the journalist from the second book. Hawthorne starts off the book by being his rather stoic, grumpy self, but then we rather quickly see him realize that all he's doing is pushing people away. He opens up (slowly) and allows himself to actually join the aforementioned found family. Alan Ross is quite the character. He does everything that he does simply to protect and provide for his rather large family. He's not quite trustworthy, but he's fascinatingly interesting, and you find yourself really trying to figure out what he wants.

Together, Hawthorne and Rossi and like a bonfire. They build off each other, pick at each other, and provoke one another into fights. It shouldn't work. It shouldn't at all – there's too big of a power difference between the two of them, but dang. They make it work. (And DAMN, Freya Marske, you weren't joking when you said this one was the kinkiest/dirtiest book of the bunch. WOAH.) I love, love loved watching Hawthorne and Rossi open up to one another and realize that yes, they do actually like each other. Surprise!

When it comes to the plot itself, I don't want to give too much away. SO I will simply say this – every single character had a part to play here, and no one was given ‘too much' to do at the end. The resolution of the entire series required EVERYONE in a way that I am so satisfied with. The found family had a purpose besides love!

Thank you, Freya Marske for writing such a fantastic LGBTQ+ series. I cannot wait to pick up your next work. Five stars.